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Pearl Sarno Collection, 1856-2005 (majority within 1870-1995)
17 mss boxes and 5 oversize folders (10 cubic feet)
Pearl Sarno Personal Papers, 1904-2002
This series documents the history of Covert and Van Buren County, Michigan and the activities of the Sarno – Hendricks family. Most of the photographs are not dated. These depict Covert student groups and clearly document the racially integrated makeup of the classrooms. Box 17 includes panoramic and rolled photographs of Covert school students for the years 1927-1935. Other photographs include portraits of unidentified individuals and depictions of Covert houses and Bale’s peach orchard. Photographs depicting Hendricks family members and the Van Buren County Historical Society Museum are filed within this series.
Most postcards depict scenes of Covert and other Southwest Michigan towns. There are street scenes, a photo of a Benton Harbor farmer’s market and images of individual buildings, including post offices, schools, hospitals, banks and stores.
Pearl Sarno served on the Covert Bicentennial Committee and her collection reflects 1976 Bicentennial events: outdoor movies, parades, Chautauquas, exhibits and school essay contests, among others. A related folder documents the Covert Library Historical marker, which was placed by the Michigan History Division (Michigan Department of State) in 1976.
Sarno was also active in the Van Buren County Historical Society. Historical Society materials (1965-1992) include a copy its constitution, meeting minutes, correspondence, membership lists, grant applications, newspaper clippings and news bulletins. The items provide information on local history and document Society activities: elections, building preservation and restoration projects, museum operations and events such as picnics and yard sales. The photographs depict Society buildings and exhibits.
The “Hendricks Family” file (1904-1905) contains family documents of Pearl Hendricks Sarno. These include postcards and other correspondence, a motor vehicle certificate, business cards, cradle roll certificates and floor plans for an unidentified building that appears to be a house or some other form of residence. Some photographs of individuals are not identified. The correspondence covers several topics, including deaths, family reunions and vacations.
The collection contains a couple unpublished Covert histories. An unknown author wrote one of these at an undetermined date. However, Pearl Sarno’s introduction to A Look at Covert’s Heritage (Pearl Sarno, Editor. Covert, Michigan: Covert Bicentennial Committee, 1976) references a 1952 unpublished history by Covert resident John R. Spelman. Spelman’s history would seem to be the unidentified one. The work discusses Covert businesses, Native Americans, railroads, early roads and some early residents. The second unpublished history is a copy of Anna-Lisa Cox’s 2002 thesis, submitted to the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Cox focuses on Covert’s history of racial integration. This research formed the basis of her 2006 book, A Stronger Kinship (New York: Little, Brown and Company).
The documentation includes seven highway maps and four plats. One of the highway maps is hand drawn on the back of a railroad bond and labeled “Highway Map of Deerfield Township,” (circa 1870s?). It provides some land ownership information. Three other highway maps depict a grid of the township. They are undated and also provide some land ownership information. Lastly, the series includes three highway maps dating from the last half the Twentieth Century, a photocopy of a land ownership plat (1873), a 1963 land ownership plat and two undated hand-drawn plats that show some land owner names, but are not complete.
Series 1: Rural Property Inventory, c1936-1942
Unbound cars identified as form number 31A, Michigan State Tax Commission, W.P.A. Project S-110. Describes land, buildings, fences, crops, wood and forest timber, means of communication, and head and light. Arranged alphabetically by name of township, then numerically by section number. No index. Not complete for all counties included.
Offers year of inventory; number of school district; legal description; code; name of village, township, and county wherein located; name and post office address of individual assessed; together with amount of acreage within certain classifications. Classifications are: "A" Agricultural; "B" Special Agricultural; "C" Swamp; "D" Commercial Orchard, Vineyards, and Berries; "E" Forest and Timber Area, Farm Woodlot and Cut-Over; and "Other" sugar bush, road, marsh, lake, waste, and recreational.
Sketches of house and general land area are included. Building description includes type; year built or remodeled; dimensions in linear and cubic feet; condition and type of foundation, exterior roof, floor and utilities. Remarks may refer to stanchions and fixtures. Buildings of lesser importance such as cribs, poultry houses, garages, fruit storage and the like are described by brief narrative. Farm fences are described by kind and condition of fence posts. The "Woodlot and Forest Timber Tally" offers type, board feet, cord, stem cut, and density. V
Records of the Michigan Military Establishment, 1838-1920
352 cubic ft., 11 inches; 242 Volume; 273 prints, 47 microfilm reels
Series 1: Service Records, 1838-1920
This series includes service records of the various parts of the Michigan Military Establishment spanning from 1838 to 1920. They are divided into five subseries: Descriptive Records, Service Records, Officer Records, Enlistment Records, and Health Records. Note that these records not only document Michigan soldier's involvement in American conflicts such as the Civil War, Spanish-American War, and World War I, but also include service during times of peace as well.
1.1 Descriptive Records, 1838-1911
Subseries 1.1 provides biographical information of the soldiers who served between 1838 and 1911. They are arranged by regiment, but the bulk of the records include a name index. Of particular interest is the descriptive roll of substitute service men (item 1.1.6) and deserters during the civil war (item 1.1.7)